Mater Research Institute - University of Queensland, TRI Building, Woolloongabba, QLD, 4102, Australia.
Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia.
Genome Biol. 2021 May 10;22(1):147. doi: 10.1186/s13059-021-02357-4.
Endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) are emerging as promising therapeutic targets in cancer. As remnants of ancient retroviral infections, ERV-derived regulatory elements coordinate expression from gene networks, including those underpinning embryogenesis and immune cell function. ERV activation can promote an interferon response, a phenomenon termed viral mimicry. Although ERV expression is associated with cancer, and provisionally with autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases, ERV-mediated inflammation is being explored as a way to sensitize tumors to immunotherapy. Here we review ERV co-option in development and innate immunity, the aberrant contribution of ERVs to tumorigenesis, and the wider biomedical potential of therapies directed at ERVs.
内源性逆转录病毒 (ERV) 作为癌症治疗的有前途的靶点正在出现。作为古老逆转录病毒感染的残余物，ERV 衍生的调节元件协调基因网络的表达，包括那些支持胚胎发生和免疫细胞功能的基因网络。ERV 的激活可以促进干扰素反应，这种现象被称为病毒模拟。尽管 ERV 的表达与癌症有关，并暂时与自身免疫性和神经退行性疾病有关，但 ERV 介导的炎症正在被探索作为一种使肿瘤对免疫疗法敏感的方法。在这里，我们回顾了 ERV 在发育和先天免疫中的共选择、ERV 对肿瘤发生的异常贡献，以及针对 ERV 的治疗方法在更广泛的生物医学中的潜力。
